Monday, January 04, 2010

From 2000 to 2005, Matthew Evans ate at over 2,000 restaurants in his role as chief restaurant critic for the Sydney Morning Herald. Never afraid to speak his mind, his reviews were always entertaining, even if they did occasionally land him in the law courts. When he retired in 2005, Good Living ran his final column as its cover page story. The accompanying profile photo was the first time many readers caught a glimpse of the man behind the by-line.

The photo used in Good Living that accompanied Matthew Evans' final columnPhoto by Steve Baccon, first published 14 December 2005

In 2007, Matthew released his book "Never order chicken on a Monday", a memoir of sorts detailing his early training as a chef and his later life as a food critic. At his book launch at Gleebooks, I still remember him describing his days as a food critic. He told of going to bed one night, green at the gills from a particularly heavy restaurant meal, and filled with dread knowing the rich food would only continue relentlessly, without respite.

Today Matthew has swapped the city life for a farm in the sleepy town of Cygnet, Tasmania (population less than 1,000), one hour south of Hobart. It's the realisation of a food lover's dream: to get closer to food production, and to know first-hand where food has come from, and how each mouthful has come to be. Filmed as the new SBS production, Gourmet Farmer, it's fascinating to watch Matthew, who has no farm experience, contend with life in the country. I have to admit it's also personally a little odd to see the Matthew Evans--former anonymous restaurant critic--on the TV screen, talking to camera, and seeing his lanky frame in shorts.

In the first episode of the series, Matthew sets up home at his newly acquired but overgrown and long-neglected farm. He meets Nick Haddow of Bruny Island Cheese Co. and makes a gloriously creamy ice cream with goats' milk. The secret to creamier ice cream, he reveals, is liquid glucose, which helps maintain more air in the final frozen product. The second episode is all about pigs and prosciutto - and when Matthew meets a leg of prosciutto, air-dried in the traditional manner, his gutteral moans of bliss are as close as you'll ever get to an Australian male version of Nigella Lawson!

1. You would be known to most Grab Your Fork readers as the Sydney Morning Herald chief critic from 2000-2005. After years of living “the good life”, what made you decide to uproot everything and head to a dinky town in Tasmania?

If you think being a critic for the Herald is the good life, you should try my new life. It's incredible. Just about everything I eat I know the provenance of. It doesn't taste like it's been handled by 50 chefs over three days. It tastes of itself, like food with the volume turned up. I moved here to explore how some food tastes better, and I've learnt the secret.

2. What has been the biggest surprise you’ve found since your move? Was there anything you found much harder than you expected?

The biggest surprise is the speed of the seasons. Winter garden? If you're planting it in March, you're too late. Spring flowers? On the quince tree in mid winter. A growing season, where you can virtually watch the grass grow by the day? We have it here.

The move has been hard in many ways, most to do with the fact I have no clue what I'm doing. I can't find enough hours in the day to get all my jobs done, and can never catch up on all the reading. I fall asleep trying to devour books like Healthy House Cow, or Growing Vegetables South of Australia. I've been told that I have to build new boxes for my bees in the next three days, or I'll have been wasting my time all spring.

3. You’ve begun selling your own range of homemade artisan food products. What are you selling, and do you ever have to face detailed critiques about how you could’ve done it better?!

I set up a small business, Rare Food, with a mate, Ross O'Meara, with the idea, originally, of selling old and rare breed meats and hard to find produce from around the state. It's been quite a challenge (to put it mildly), but we have a great fan base for our rillettes, nitrate-free bacon, hand-cut pork pies and terrines.

Ross is a terrific cook and can make ready-to-fry felafel, stunning pork pies and terrines. I tend to do lamb pies (with a flaky yoghurt cream pastry), ten-hour baked beans with bacon and treacle, and cassoulet in mid-winter. When you sell direct, customers give you feedback without qualms. We get great feedback most of the time, but not in any detail. I think we are our own worst critics.

4. After several months on the farm, do you look at food in a different light? What did the term “good food” used to mean to you, and what does it mean to you now?

I used to think of good food, well by that I mean great food, as being complex, like a symphony. Now I think of great food as speaking of itself. Stunning pork, lamb, peas or spuds need only taste truly and deeply of themselves to be good. And you never, ever tire of good home cooking.

5. Being a high-profile food critic requires a certain type of character. What type of plant or animal do you think best typifies the qualities needed to be a successful food critic?

A turtle. You move thoughtfully, and slowly, and have to have a terrifically hard shell. Do turtles have good lawyers? That would help, too.

6. Is there anything you miss about the life of a food critic? Do old habits die hard? What aspects of being a food critic have you been glad to say goodbye to?

I miss the fresh seafood that top end Sydney restaurants (and most around the country) serve. I miss having a person on hand who knows way more about wine than me, and has chosen some for a list, that I can call on. I still can't help watching what happens in a restaurant when I dine out, always keeping an eye what other people are doing, eating, the time they are having. And I've been told I'm a poor guest at people's houses because after ten years as a reviewer I tend to keep my own counsel, and don't exclaim and flatter like I ought.

If there's anything I don't miss about reviewing, it's the fact that people hate you for just doing your job. I tried not to have favourites, and wasn't afraid of high profile chefs. I didn't take on the reviewing job to make friends, and I've certainly succeeded in that.

7. As part of the show, you’re maintaining a blog that details your experiences on the farm. Are you familiar with Australian food blogs and what role do you think they have to play in terms of how people are getting information online - both now, and in the future?

I'm in my 40s and only vaguely familiar with food blogs though most I've read are terrific. I love the way there are more voices and opinions out there, especially in the world of restaurant reviews. I think a blog, like any other form of media, should try to entertain, and with that comes the responsibility to be accurate, fair, and have the ability to justify your opinions. I've read some snarly comments that don't seem to have any basis but most seem to be trying really hard to be both informative and opinionated. Good blogs are sure to thrive as they become as trusted as some of the print media.

8. Can you remember the first dish you learned how to cook?

Hmm, probably cake. I grew up learning to cook at my mother's elbow, and I seem to recall being allowed to help beat the cake batter. I'm sure mum did most of the cooking and I just licked the spoon.

9. What dish do you crave when you’re sick?

A good, simple bowl of something starchy. Like pasta with oil and lemon. Or rice with a fried egg and chilli jam. Or good dutch cream potato mash with superb pure pork sausages.

10. What’s the ideal breakfast you’d want to wake up to?

Pancake Sunday. A lazy day where I'd use the strawberry jam I tried to make for the show - which ended up being a perfect pouring sauce - on yoghurt pancakes made using milk from my jersey cow Maggie. It's the best excuse to invite people over for a special occasion breakfast.

Hi Peter G - Matthew had some great reviews didn't he? Will be interesting to see how his new life pans out.

Hi Dave - lol. I guess if you want to make it big in any industry you have to had a lot of self-belief. Therein lies the rub.

Hi Trissa - Sounds like a great idea! And thanks :)

Hi Ellie - I think that most reviewers and chefs end up craving simple food after so much flavour-overload in their jobs. But I totally agree with his food cravings when sick. Was excited to see a fried egg on rice! My favourite!

Hi Jacq - I read his book when it first came out and it was quite interesting to read about his background. I guess it helps to have a legal team to read each review but even so, it still wasn't foolproof!

Hi Hannah - lol. I had no idea what he looked like until the photo in Good Living and then I spotted him at the Good Food Month Spring Picnic. I think most people are most approachable than you'd think!

Hi Karen - I think the ice will definitely be broken when you see him in shorts! lol.

His farm life will be inspiring to many people, I'm sure.

Hi YaYa - I think that's why I love Japanese food so much - it's all about the simple appreciation of each ingredient at its core :)

Hi Wine Esky - Ha, that's very true, although realistically there's nothing stopping people moving and setting up their own farm :) Haven't been to Tasmania yet - would love to get there sometime.

Hi AY - There were so many questions I wanted to ask, it was a task just trying to narrow it down to 10 :)

Hi Rose - Ha, I was curious to see what his response would be to that question but I never expected him to say turtle. lol. He always had a cheeky sense of humour in his reviews and columns.

Hi Shaz - lol. Nice one! And yes, it's always interesting to find out more about notable people and what makes them tick.

Hi KFC So Good - I'm guessing the Gourmet Farmer title was driven by the production company and not necessarily Matthew but I agree, it doesn't quite ring true with the back-to-simplicity sentiments.

And yes, that would be interesting to see if he ever opens up his own restaurant!

Hi Dairokkan - Glad you enjoyed the post :)

Hi mademoiselle delicieuse - I've always wanted to know more about Matthew so it was too good an opportunity to pass up. The court case has been very interesting, to say the least!

Hi chocolatesuze - He didn't mention bacon though. lol. But wait until you see him hyperventilating over the prosciutto!